Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Family, Friends, Football & Food

Family,
friends, football, and food—what’s not to like about Thanksgiving? Certainly my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving
is unique because it gives individuals an opportunity to make their own
traditions. Unlike most holidays, which
are religious in nature, the secularity of Thanksgiving is what makes it truly
American. Of course, there are universal
customs like carving the turkey, watching the Macy’s parade, and shopping on
Black Friday, that define the holiday on a national scale, but those aren’t the
activities that make Thanksgiving special for me.

The
rituals that come to mind when I think of Turkey Day come in a variety of
shapes and sizes. From my mother’s
Wednesday night mac ‘n cheese and chili meal that she prepares every year as
the family trickles into town, to the annual monopoly game that inevitably ends
in treachery and tears, each piece of the puzzle is equally important in
fulfilling my Thanksgiving agenda.

Of
course, in addition to the hours-long Monopoly marathon, the spellers in the family
always battle for triple-word-scores in Scrabble (despite Grandpa’s tendency to
make up words). On Thursday morning,
while half the group is still asleep, the young men venture to a local field to
play football; the game goes on until injuries or inept cardiovascular
endurance make it impossible to continue.
As the long weekend develops, the whole troupe usually goes to a movie
(only if the Harry Potter marathon has ended), and when a house full of family
becomes too much to bear, I escape to my friends who are all experiencing
similar cases of overdose. After all,
it’s the first time of the year where most of the high school crew is back
together, and a preview of the month-long winter break to come.

All
in all, for college kids (at least for me), Thanksgiving break isn’t much of a
break at all. There are a million people
to see and a million things to do, and only about five days to make it all
happen. But, in the end, that’s why I
love it so much. The one week of the
year where family, and friends—everyone you love—become one. Nothing makes my grandparents prouder than
meeting my “darling friends,” and nothing makes my 12-year-old cousin more
excited than tossing a football with the “big boys.” So, take off class early, and fly home
Tuesday. Hug your mother and wait for
madness to ensue. Thanksgiving only
comes once a year—enjoy it while it lasts.